Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pad assemblies for woodwind instruments. More particularly the present invention relates to a pad assembly that allows a tone hole-sealing pad to be optimally oriented on the tone hole even if the pad cup or cup retaining assembly is deformed or imperfectly installed.
Description of Related Art
The size of the tone holes on the modern flute necessitate the use of a cup and pad arrangement, the tone holes being too large and numerous to be closed with only 10 comparatively small human fingers. On a modern professional-level flute, there are three types of pad and cup arrangements, type 1 being a “spud and washer” design, whereby the pad is secured into the cup by means of a screw, which, when inserted into its threaded receiver (or “spud”), then tightens a washer on top of the pad, which holds it in its respective cup. The second type of arrangement may be described “bushing and chimney” design, whereby the pad is held in its cup by means of a flanged bushing pressed into the central hole of a cup. In the third type of arrangement, the pad is simply held in place with a backing of glue or resin, and is not part of the current invention.
The pad's orientation to the tone hole can be affected by several factors, including finger pressure, humidity, temperature, etc. The factors that the current invention addresses are cups that are out of alignment with the tone hole due to bending or warpage and/or improperly installed spuds. flute makers do their best to minimize these factors, but it does happen, and indeed flutes can be damaged once out of the makers control, necessitating repair outside the makers shop by repairmen who may not be as skilled as the original maker.
A warped cup is detrimental to the pad's orientation to the tone hole in that the cup is designed to hold the pad at a certain angle and plane. If the cup becomes misshapen during manufacture or is later damaged, the pad will conform to the shape of its cup and be brought out of optimal alignment. Spuds are typically soldered into place inside the cup, but if too little solder is used, the spud may not properly seat against the cup. Conversely, if too much solder is used, the spud may float out of its optimum orientation.
Previous pad and cup arrangements typically feature the screw/washer being tightened down until it contacts the spud (in the case of type 1), or the bushing being pressed down until sufficient resistance is felt such that further pressure would deform the cup (in the case of type 2). In the first case, if the spud is not installed correctly, the washer will conform to the incorrect spud, and exert pressure on the pad unevenly, thus deforming it and preventing it from performing its function properly. In the second case, if the flanged bushing is not installed using even, steady pressure, it can be out of alignment with the pad, and result in a similar situation to the first case.
Therefore, what is needed is a device that may provide a complete and effective seal even if the cup and tone hole are not in alignment.